In his memoir Never Say Die , released Tuesday, Ke Huy Quan recalls receiving an almost $100,000 residual check from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a 12 year old in 1984. Quan says the payment stunned his family because he had no idea child actors could earn money beyond their initial salary. Quan describes walking into the kitchen and finding his parents gathered around an envelope from Lucasfilm. The check came after Quan played Short Round in his first major film role, and the unexpected money became a major financial turning point for his family. How Did a Child Actor Get That Check? According to Quan’s memoir, the payment reflected a small share connected to the film’s success, an unusually generous arrangement at a time when most actors did not receive a percentage of movie profits. Temple of Doom was the sequel to a major blockbuster, so the residual check carried serious weight for a family that had recently endured Quan’s childhood flight from Vietnam and time in refugee camps. Quan later appeared as Data in the 1985 film The Goonies , then stepped away from the spotlight for decades. His acclaimed return in 2023’s Everything Everywhere All at Once led to an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, giving his memoir’s early Hollywood chapter a full circle ending with receipts attached.